Vandals Steal, Damage Windsor Campaign Signs

WINDSOR — Incumbent Democratic town council candidate Guy B. Jacobs hasn't been able to do any door-to-door campaigning for the upcoming election since he had a mild stroke last month.

To let people know he's running, he has largely relied on his signs posted on lawns throughout town.

But many Windsor voters haven't seen Jacobs' signs, or those of a number of other candidates.

Why? Because most of the signs have been stolen.

``I think all of my signs are gone,'' Jacobs said this week. ``They were either destroyed or pulled right up out of the ground. And I know the wind and weather did not do it.''

Sign vandals haven't picked on any particular party or candidate.

Incumbent Republican council candidate William D. Chiodo said more than half his signs have been stolen or damaged beyond repair. Signs for independent candidate Milo ``Rusty'' Peck are now just sticks in the ground.

Jacobs said he is particularly upset because signs are expensive. The 50 signs he had posted mostly in the Poquonock section of town cost the Democratic town committee about $600.

``People don't realize how much expense and trouble those signs are,'' Chiodo said. When signs run anywhere from $5 to $10 each, he said, stealing a bunch of signs isn't just petty theft -- it starts running into the realm of a felony.

Chiodo said the vandals are also violating his First Amendment rights.

``People put these signs on their lawns to express a political point of view,'' he said, ``and they are having their viewpoint trashed.''

Most candidates have reported the problem to Windsor Police Chief Kevin Searles, who could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

``Candidates expect some vandalism, but we expect to have at least something left [of the signs] to salvage,'' Deputy Mayor Randall I. Graff said at the town council meeting Monday. ``If we didn't have the signs out there for [the vandals] to attack, I wonder what they would be after.''

Jacobs said the vandalism is infuriating. ``Why would someone want to steal political signs?'' he said.